Racial Disparities Archives - Page 15 of 18 - Fines and Fees Justice Center

“You Miss So Much When You’re Gone”- The Lasting Harm of Jailing Mothers Before Trial in Oklahoma

This report provides a brief history on the disproportionate rise of women’s incarceration in the US and in Oklahoma before explaining four kinds of barriers that prevent mothers from returning to normalcy after they come into contact with the system, with a particular focus on fines and fees.

Resolution Addressing Fines, Fees, and Costs in Juvenile Courts [Resolution and Bench Card]

The National Council of Juvenile Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) passed a resolution advocating for the reduction or elimination of fines and fees in juvenile courts. The resolution was published alongside a judicial bench card that outlines types of financial obligations that youth and families may encounter in juvenile and family court, details the impacts of those obligations, and explains how judges can address fines and fees in their own courtrooms. The bench card includes several practice recommendations for juvenile and family court judges.

How Chicago Ticket Debt Sends Black Motorists Into Bankruptcy

Filing for bankruptcy to avoid car impoundments and or a boot that immobilizes their vehicle has become a popular “remedy” for Chicago drivers who can’t afford to pay off debt from traffic tickets, parking violations, and vehicle compliance infractions.

Living in Suspension – Consequences of Driver’s License Suspension Policies

In this report, the Chicago Jobs Council describes how suspending a person’s driver’s license for unpaid fines and fees can prevent them from ever paying off their debt and destabilize their finances.

No One Is Watching: Jail in Upstate New York

This article, part of the Vera Institute’s In Our Backyard Stories series, documents the incarceration practices in the small upstate city of Amsterdam, New York.

Fines, Fees, and the Poverty Penalty

This issue brief discusses how fines and fees harm communities and puts forward several strategies that prosecutors can use to mitigate these harms.

Targeted Fines and Fees Against Communities of Color

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights issued a landmark report detailing the disproportionate harms that communities of color suffer from fines and fees.

Discretionary Disenfranchisement: The Case of Legal Financial Obligations

States have the autonomy to strip convicted defendants of their voting rights and determine how and if they may be restored. Although most states restore voting rights at the end …

Paying More for Being Poor: Bias and Disparity in California’s Traffic Court System

This report is based on the authors’ research on traffic courts and driver’s license suspension practices in the San Francisco Bay Area. It details how much revenue courts collect from fines and fees, the harmful impacts those fees have on low-income Californians, and also advances several policy reform recommendations.

Juvenile Justice Research to Policy and the Case of Fines

This study analyzes data from more than 1,000 justice-involved youth in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania in order to answer two questions: (1) how do demographics and case characteristics correlate with imposition of fines and fees, and (2) how do fines and fees correlate with recidivism rates?